Embracing doll



June 10, 1969 A. G. HARTPENCE EMBRAC ING DOLL Sheet Filed March 14, 1966 INVENTOR ANDE G.HART PE NCE Em M ATTORNEYS,

June 10, 1969 A. cs. HARTYPENCE 3,448,539

EMBRACING DOLL Filed March 14, 1966 Sheet 3 of 2 INVENTOR ANDE G.HARTPENCE gym @WJ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,448,539 EMBRACING DOLL And G. Hartpence, 32 Grove St., New York, N.Y. 10014 Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,183 Int. Cl. A63h 3/04, 9/00 US. Cl. 46-156 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE More specifically, the toy in its preferred form comprises a fiat, tubular, flexible fabric structure defining limb, head and trunk portions to simulate a person or animal. To provide form to the fabric structure, the head portion is stulfed or inflated, and a pair of split resilent rings have their free ends inserted into the extremities of the limb portions with the intermediate part of the rings disposed in the otherwise fiat, tubular trunk portion.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel embracing toy, doll or similar inanimate article.

Another object is to provide an embracing toy, or the like, of flexible, flat, tubular structure having a pair of split resilient rings with their free ends inserted in the extremes of the limb members.

A further object is to provide an embracing or clinging toy, or the like, having a thin, flexible, main body portion which will generally conform to the object embraced, there being relatively thin, split, resilient rings having their free ends inserted in the limb defining portions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clinging, embracing toy, or the like, comprising a flat, tubular, flexible, fabric structure which, when viewed in elevation, simulates a human being or animal with all limbs extended and spread, the head portion being inflated or stuffed and the shaping structure for the remaining portion of the structure substantially consisting of a pair of split, resilient rings having their free ends dsposed in the extremities of the limbs whereby the intermediate portions of the rings, or at least a portion thereof, are disposed along the spine area of the toy.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following specification and claims:

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the flat, tubular, fabric structure as it would appear supported upon a fiat surface, with the rings removed but their stressed location indicated in dotted outline, a portion of the top layer of fabric being shown broken,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the split, resilient rings shown in an unstressed state,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toy with the resilient rings located in the position shown in FIG. 1, but with the limb portions displaced from that shown in FIG. 1 by the rings assuming an unstressed position and being shown angularly disposed to the spine,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a clown 'ice costume applied to the fabric structure of FIG. 1 and the head portion smiled and contracted at the neck, and

FIG. 5 shows the dressed toy of FIG. 4 clinging to a persons leg.

Referring to FIG. 1, the toy or doll 10, preferably, is fabricated from identical pieces of flexible cloth 12 and 14 cut to the same desired pattern, stitched together along their peripheral edges as at 16 and then turned inside out, all in a well-known manner through an unsewed peripheral slit as at 18.

The toy in FIG. 1 is shown before the head portion 20 is stutfed and the neck area 22 has been contracted by an elastic band or other means to retain the stufiing. Also, in FIG. 1, the rings 24, one of which is shown in FIG. 2. have not yet been inserted through the slit 18 and disposed with their free ends 26 in the extremities 28 of the pair of limbs 30 and 32. However, for purposes of illustration, the location the rings 24 would assume, in a stressed condition with the limbs 30 and 32 extended and spread, is indicated by dotted arcuate paths 24.

Each ring 24 is, preferably, of flat, resilient metal or plastic material of sufiicient width and thickness to provide a resilient, split ring which resists movement of the free ends 26 out of the plane of the ring 24. Also, each ring 24 is capable of assuming a position in which the ends 26 overlap each other when the ring 24 is in an unstressed state, the tension of the rings being sufficient to grip an object and support the weight of the toy 10.

When the rings 24 are inserted through the slit 18 and the free ends 26 are inserted into the tubular limbs 30 and 32, if this were done with the fabric structure 12 and 14 stretched upon a flat surface so as to retain the shape shown in FIG. 1, the rings 24 would be stressed into the arcuate form represented by the paths 24. However, with structure of FIG. 1 will take some such form as shown in FIG. 2 after being disposed in the tubular portions 30 and 32, the intermediate portions of the rings will be located in the upper and lower regions of the trunk portion 34, with the limbs 30 and 32 disposed in an embracing overlapping state. When the rings 24 are angularly disposed to the spine of the toy 10, the flat fabric structure of FIG. 1 will take some such form as shown in FIG. 3.

If the embracing overlapping state of the limbs 30 and 32 is altered by separating the extremities 28, this will stress the rings 24 and enable the toy to embrace or cling to any object disposed between the bite of the free ends 26 of the rings 24, as indicated in FIG. 5, wherein the toy 10 is shown embracing and clinging to a persons leg 36.

One of the novel features of the invention resides in the fact that the rings 24 give the toy 10 an appearance of substantial form and function, notwithstanding the lack of stuffing within the limb and trunk portions of the tubular fabric structure. Also, this structural feature enables the toy to be compactly arranged for packaging or storage, especially if the head portion is provided with an inflatable bladder in lieu of being stuffed.

While the rag doll efl ect of the toy -10 is preferred, it is within the scope of the present invention to have the trunk and limb portions flexibly stuifed, or of flexible, molded, foam material, or the like, with the split rings 24, associated with the trunk and limb portions, of such a modified structure having a similar functional relationship, as in the case of the illustrated embodiment. However, a stufied or molded limb and trunk structure will not 3 permit the same degree of flexibility of form and degree of mobility afforded the rings 24 as by the flat tubular fabric structure of FIG. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An embracing doll in the form of a flexible main body structure defining the trunk, limb portions attached to said trunk, a pair of slit, resilient rings spaced at opposite ends of said trunk, said rings each having a pair of free ends and a normal annular configuration, the free ends of a ring being associated with and located adjacent the extremities of a pair of said limb portions whereby pairs of limb portions associated with a common ring are biased toward an annular embracing configuration by the associated ring.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said body structure is in the form of flat, tubular fabric.

5 fining portions, as viewed in elevation and prior to application of the rings, are extended and spread.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,125,828 3/1964 Ostrander 46-156 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

15 R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

